November 1, 2025
Sailfish or failfish?
SailfishOS: A Linux-based European alternative to dominant mobile OSes
Sailfish sails again: fans hype, skeptics ask “That still exists?”
TLDR: Sailfish OS, the Nokia-rooted, open European phone platform, is still alive and may get a new Jolla device. Comments split between hope and hard reality: people want desktop docking and real app availability, while critics slam its Android layer and recall past hardware stumbles—making its comeback both exciting and uncertain.
Sailfish OS, the indie European phone system born from Nokia’s MeeGo dream, is still swimming—and making waves. Jolla says it’s mature, open, and even runs Android apps. But the crowd is split. One stunned voice kicks in with “That still exists?” while nostalgia bubbles up for the slick swipey Jolla days and the short-lived tablet. The mood? Equal parts love letter and side-eye.
The hottest fight: can a phone without Google Play or Apple’s App Store ever break through? One commenter argues it’s a non-starter without those stores, while another torpedoes Sailfish’s Android compatibility, calling it “like WINE”—a half-working bridge that killed true native apps. Ouch. Meanwhile, a power-user has a spicy wish list: “dock it and make it a full computer,” complete with coding tools. Basically: if it’s going to be the freedom phone, it has to be the main computer.
Then a hopeful twist: someone drops a link to a possible new Jolla phone. Cue the fish puns and “I left the boat” jokes. Tech romantics want a comeback; practical folks want app realities. Everyone agrees on one thing: if Sailfish is truly independent and open, now’s the time to prove it—with hardware, apps, and a desktop dock fantasy fulfilled.
Key Points
- •Sailfish OS descends from Nokia and Intel’s open source MeeGo project, which received around USD 1 billion in investment.
- •Jolla launched Sailfish OS in beta with the Jolla smartphone in November 2013, followed by version 1.0 reaching 36 markets within a year.
- •Sailfish OS 2.0 debuted in 2015 with the Jolla Tablet and a stronger focus on licensing; third generation matured in 2018; Sailfish 4 arrived in February 2021.
- •The platform is positioned as an independent, open source–based mobile OS with strong IPR, supported by a global community and aimed at corporate, governmental, and enthusiast use.
- •Technically, Sailfish OS uses Qt/QML, Wayland, and can run Android apps via Android libraries, leveraging Android hardware adaptations; source code is available for download.